This disclosure relates in general to sighting scopes and, more specifically, but not by way of limitation, to sighting scopes that have functionality beyond mere aiming.
Military and law enforcement personnel use weapons in a variety of different operating environments. These operating environments may range from dry and dusty terrain, to moist and humid regions, to places with significant levels of precipitation. There is also a need to use weapons under many different lighting conditions. Reliable operation and the ability to withstand rugged treatment are concerns in these types of environments and lighting conditions. This is particularly true for weapon sights.
Over the years, red dot sighting systems have been used instead of mechanical iron sights. Red dot sights, in particular, have been commercially available for many years. These sights, which allow the operator to identify a target over a wide field of view and with unlimited eye relief, have been used with night vision equipment. A shooter wears a night vision monocular to view through the red dot sight at night, alternatively a 3× scope can be mounted in front of the red-dot scope.
Optical transmitters and receivers are used to communicate information wirelessly. For example, weapon targeting systems, laser-tag and military training systems may communicate with light beams between two points. These systems are bulky additions to other sighting equipment. On some weapon targeting systems, the user views a potential target through a first objective lens to communicate with a friendly target. A second objective lens is used to aim the weapon if the weapon targeting system identified that the target is a foe. These two objective lenses are bulky and add considerably to the overall weight of any weapon. This increased bulk, in turn, makes the weapon more difficult to use in combat and thus more dangerous for the user. Also, both the targeting and the communication optics need to be co-aligned with the weapon.